Small Business Week is Coming

Posted on Oct 3, 2017

‘The true entrepreneur is a doer, not a dreamer’

The characteristics of an entrepreneur include drive, risk tolerance, vision, creativity, and motivation. Are you willing to promote your business tirelessly? Do you take the reins or would you rather others do that for you? During Small Business Week in BC we celebrate the entrepreneurs, the small business owners that possess these characteristics and those that took the leap and jumped head-first into being self-employed.

Downtown Vernon has a wealth of independent small businesses ranging from professional services and health providers to retail stores and coffee shops. While a small to medium sized business has fewer than 500 employees, downtown is home to several micro-enterprises defined as fewer than 5 employees. Many of these businesses have been located downtown for 10+ years providing the charm and quality customer service that brings people back time and time again.

Although large business normally starts small, not all small businesses want to become large! When asked most small business owners are not driven to build large empires and consider non-financial goals as important as financial ones. They enjoy being their own boss creating work flexibility, freedom and control, and having a positive impact in their community. Being small is a selling point for many owners and allows for downtown businesses to concentrate on niche markets.

While classified as ‘small business’, their contributions to the local economy through innovation and employment are anything but! A recent report by the Government of Canada shows that in British Columbia alone there are 176,014 small businesses employing 11.6 million people which indicates the essential role that small to medium size business plays.

Given their role in the economy, how do small businesses succeed and get the resources they need in order to thrive? Fortunately, in the Okanagan Valley, entrepreneurs have access to several programs and services dedicated to the development of small business. Community Futures North Okanagan provides advisory services, strategic economic planning, and technical services while financial institutions like the Business Development Bank of Canada provide consulting and financing exclusively to entrepreneurs. The Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce also provides resources to business owners ranging from networking events to educational seminars for its members.

The DVA is committed to fostering collaboration with key stakeholders including the City of Vernon to attract and retain entrepreneurial investors to Vernon through networking, events, marketing, and advocacy. We celebrate the small businesses located downtown and congratulate them on their contributions to the local economy and to the community.